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Tag: Dominic Toretto

Chad retreats back to his office, surprised when he sees a bald individual sitting at the desk.

“Who let you in my office?” He questions as he walks into the room.

“Why I let myself in,” Chad hears in response, watching the chair spin around and the person face him. Chad immediately shakes his head as he realizes it’s Dom.

“Why is it whenever you come around, you can’t just do things like everybody else?” Dom shrugs his shoulders as Chad walks over, and sits behind his desk. “I hope the hell you have answers for me.”

“Why are you so desperate?” Chad really didn’t have time to answer questions. He had a small crisis on his hands with Ron right now, and didn’t need Greenlee becoming an added distraction.

“Why does that matter?” Dom sits back in the chair, leaving the files tucked in the bag beside him.

“Everybody has a reason for what they want. Everybody has a price they will pay, and a code to follow. What is your reason, Mr. Knaus?” Chad knew from previous dealings with Dom that he wasn’t going to get anywhere without answering the question.

“I have my doubts about Ms. Smythe, and her connection to Ron. There’s also the factor that Ron is still dealing with some effects from what happened.” Dom lets out a sigh, having expected that to possibly be the case.

“You do realize that you forced a lot down his throat at that time, right? Torture, combined with what he loves being ripped away is a lethal combination. I don’t know what I’d do if someone took away my ability to drag race.” Chad had heard how it was a drug, addition, and a way of life. However, he didn’t mean he was set to support illegal activities.

“What about doing it legally?” Dom shakes his head no, having tried that previously and it failing miserably.

“It’s not the same as the bare open road, and that perfect grudge match. It’s a scene that you don’t understand unless you’ve been there and felt that rush.” Chad rolls his eyes, wishing to have avoided this discussion all together. He didn’t want to discuss the thought of street racing ever again, considering the annoyance he felt before in its regard.

“Can we just get to the information, please?” Dom reaches into the bag, pulling out the folder and flipping it open. Chad found himself trying to peer over the desk into the contents upon his friend’s hands.

“She has a past, but nothing that’s been convicted of criminally. Needless to say, everything in my hands had to be found through other means.” Chad rolls his eyes, only fearing what could come. Why couldn’t things be simple in their lives? “She spent her childhood growing up in Pine Valley, before moving to California – which obviously is how she met Ron and Jimmie, and yes, she street raced with them during her time there.”

“Ron admitted that to me on the day of the interview. She hasn’t supposedly touched the streets since then, but has a bit of a shady past in Pine Valley that she wants to leave in the rearview.” Dom shakes his head, understanding, having heard about the past through some people.

“Yeah, you could say that again as this isn’t no tales of roses. Shortly after moving back, she did connect with the police – helping an individual named Ryan Lavery steal money, cover for him, but had a change of conscious and turned him into the police.” Chad looks on surprised, as it gave the explanation of a clear conscious – not what he had expected.

“If that’s all she has for a shady past, then I’m wil-”

“I didn’t say I was done yet, did I?” Chad lets out a sigh and shakes his head no. “Her name comes up once again later on in regards to a murder investigation. A lady by the name of Vanessa kidnapped her, with her husband at the time Leo de Pris set to save her, however that didn’t go as planned for Leo.” Chad could sense the direction that Dom was going, in figuring what had happened to Leo. Greenlee had a past, but that of a sad one – being a widow. He could understand how she could help Ron as she knew what was it was it like to be kidnapped, with sadness. It was why she had noticed the signs immediately. Perhaps this was a match made in heaven and he had nothing to worry about.

“Damn. Was that long ago?” Dom shakes his head yes.

“I still have more as that’s not probably why she ran away recently.” Chad felt a breath hiccup at that thought, wondering if the presumed assumptions that things would be alright were wrong. “She owns a cosmetic company with some other ladies named Simone, Kendall, Liza and Mia. Currently, Kendall and Mia are handling daily duties with her just having a stake in the company.” Chad shakes his head, approving, feeling the confidence returning.

“Business owner. Impressive.” Dom could only shake his head in agreement, but worried about what was on page two.

“Remember Ryan Lavery as previously mentioned? She ended up marrying him.” Chad could only wonder what that would entail, considering the money scheming. “Ryan actually turned out to be quite a wonderful guy in town there, according to many of the locals. One of the sweetest guys, great business leader, basically left his shady past in the rearview.”

“Are you sure he’s not keeping it tucked under a rug or something?” Dom shakes his head no, knowing once he got to the truth of Ryan that the questions from Chad would seem pointless. “That’s intriguing.”

“His brother is another story, though. She spent time in the hospital going through a pretty psychotic deal after he poisoned her. Ryan ended up shooting his own brother at that time, but got off with no conviction due to self defense. It resulted in a whole sale of events that saw him go a little nuts, make it look like he committed suicide but go take care of his brother who survived with his sister, followed by coming back and Grenlee being pissed off and divorcing him.” Chad could only shake his head in disbelief as he heard the tale.

“Do you blame her? I mean, that’s ridiculous!” Dom glanced away, remembering a time he betrayed his own family.

“Sometimes you got to do what you got to do in order to protect those who you love. He thought he was doing it to protect her from his insane ways, according to Aiden. She ran away from town for a time being, though returned a couple years later – but found out that Ryan was remarried, now in love with this person named Annie. You could say that was another tipping point in her life as she kidnapped Spike, which was Kendall and Ryan’s child. She believed in doing so because Kendall betraying her when Kendall was supposed to be a surrogate mother.” Chad could only shake his head as now it was beginning to become clear as to why he was worried.

“So right now Ron is hanging out with a child kidnapper, and maybe crazed woman? That just sounds great considering that what he’s going through and the fact that I hired her.” Dom looks up from the piece of paper, intrigued by the crew chief’s reaction.

“To be honest, I don’t think she’s crazed anymore and the kidnapping thing – Kendall and Ryan never pressed charges. They understood why she did it, from the confused anger and everything that happened. I actually believe, from what I still have left to tell you about her, that she’s moved forward from all of this and no different than you and me. Actually, that’s why she may be best for Ron due to being able to help him move forward with her own experience.” Chad thought about it for a second, wondering if Dom was right in his words. He trusted the man’s judgment, based on everything, so was willing to give the theory a chance.

“Continue….”

“Her and Ryan supposedly crossed paths later as she helped him get off attempted murder charges. Aiden said that she took the fall – mostly due to annoyance, with him helping her escape town. However, that resulted in her getting trapped in a bomb shelter with Kendall’s husband Zach. Needless to say, the trail of events led to everybody coming to a truce and realizing that they could be friends, again.” Chad was ready to either sing a tune, or pop a bag of popcorn.

“And they lived happily, ever after….” Dom laughs and shakes his head no. “And damn it, I thought you were telling me a fairy tale.”

“Ryan divorced Annie, and got together with Greenlee as they got engaged. However, there was no wedding as she fell in creek, with this supposed doctor who can’t keep himself out of medical legal proceedings named David Hayward taking her away to be healed – set to give her a fresh start, per his reasoning. However, that didn’t work as she did marry Ryan.” Chad then looks at Dom in confusion.

“If she’s married to Ryan, why is she down here and he not with her? Furthermore, she’s been flirting with Malec.” Dom smiles as he turns the page once again. “Why did I ask?”

“Because you’re intrigued, like any good mystery novel.” Chad rolls his eyes, wishing this was a novel that would end immediately. “The ex-wife Annie resurfaced into the fold – gone psychotic which I don’t blame considering the way this town flies, and she killed him – five years ago. Aiden said Greenlee has spent time trying to move forward in town, but that wasn’t working so she hit the road with no destination in mind.” Dom then takes the folder and sets it on Chad’s desk. “I take it that North Carolina is where she landed, thanks to finally finding a familiar face that wouldn’t look at all this straight in her eyes.”

“I guess….” Chad’s eyes focused on the yellow folder, letting out a sigh. It certainly a lot to take in and he didn’t know whether he wanted to crucify her, hug her, comfort her, or applaud her.

“Aiden says that she has a good heart, and that she’s a wonderful sweet girl who has been misunderstood by so many people through the years. But given the chance, she can blossom into the right situation.” Chad then looks up, eyes on Dom as he thinks over those words.

“So you think that things are okay for her down here?” Dom shakes his head yes.

“I think she’ll be the best thing for Ron, ever. Based on her experience, she can help him find the best way to move forward. Plus, he can help her finally feel at ease and give her the second – well, third chance that she rightfully deserves for what she’s been through. In my opinion, by you and Jimmie giving her a chance here, you’re doing the right thing.” Chad glances at the batch of notes that she had printed off for him, seeing how they were solidly done correctly.

It had been five months since the tail of events that resulted in drugs being inserted, pain experienced and lives being on the line. The group had been set to move forward without a second thought, having started to work on rebuilding their lives without that mess in the midst.

But yet, here they were sitting in a court room, reminded of the events.

The court room served a reminder to Jimmie as to what he called the wrong decisions of his life. It had been tough, but he had been able to walk away from the street racing easier than he thought it’d be. Besides, he was focused on his racing career, and continuing to build his relationship with Candiss. The pair had worked at finding other things to do together, rather than causing the havoc that managed to bring them together in the first place.

Ron had managed to move past the trail of events without much thought. He had full healed after a couple of months and watching himself carefully. The doctors had told him that he was back to his perfect happy self, with nothing remaining from what happened. That was a relief for him as he didn’t want any reminders. He was set on moving forward, and having more success with Chad, Jimmie and the guys. As far as away from racing, he was still working on some restoration projects but hadn’t gotten into too much else.

Dom had managed to take a couple steps back in life since the last turn of events, focusing on rekindling the magic that he and Letty had before the series of events that twisted their life’s path. He was still taking part in some street races, but had scaled it back a lot. He was also working at building events for people to race that’d have the feel of a street race, but be safer and legal. Thus far, it was still a tough balance in trying to make that happen.

“I’m going to go through each of these individuals and their respective charges one-by-one,” the judge states as he faces the line of defendents. “The jury will state whether you’re guilty or innocent – nothing less, nothing more.” He then glances down at the stack of paper that rested on his desk. That was a stack of paper that had both Dom and Luke Hobbs pleased, in what they had managed to do in bringing down a group of people. “David Rhodes, we will start with you. On the charge of conspiracy in relation to terrorism and organizational crimes, how does the jury find you?”

“Not guilty,” the head juror stated as Dom glanced over at Luke with a look. Luke gave him as simple nod. There was certainly going to be an appeal, and then some as they had evidence of what David had been planning with his group, outside of the street racing.

“On the charge of threatening Jimmie Johnson, how do you find him?”

“Not guilty.” Jimmie felt confusion in hearing the ruling from the jury. They had demonstrated the acts that David and his crew followed to arrive at the track, and follow both him and Candiss. They had demonstrated how they had kidnapped Ron to threaten Jimmie.

“On the charge of threatening Candiss Vanders, how do you find him?”

“Not guilty.” Candiss’ jaw dropped immediately as she felt a pit form in her stomach. She knew that she’d never be able to move forward in knowing that David was loose.

“Don’t worry – he has a federal court date still, and all of these terrorism charges aren’t going to fly because of the evidence we have,” Dom assures her, with assurance from Luke. Luke had put together a complete investigation for the second court date and knew it’d be a success.

“Thank you,” the judges states, as all eyes fall back on the front. “Mr. Rhodes, you must remain in prison and will be transferred up-state for your second round of court hearings.” The judge then flips the piece of paper, allowing her eyes to fall on the female in the line-up. “Hilary Evans is next. On the charge of threatening Jimmie Johnson, how do you find her?”

“Guilty,” the head juror states as Jimmie lets out a sigh of relief. At least the jury had some smarts.

“On the charge of threatening Candiss Vanders, how do you find her?”

“Guilty.” Candiss couldn’t help but smile in hearing that. It was nice to hear that someone as cruel as Hilary would spend a long time behind bars.

“On the charge of threatening Ron Malec, how do you find her?”

“Guilty.” Ron glanced over at Jimmie with a sly smile. They were getting their justice, finally.

“On the charge of attempted murder and drugging Mr. Malec, how do you find her?” Jimmie swallowed the lump that formed in his throat upon hearing those words. The only image that reminded in his mind was that of Ron lying in bed, tubes and wires, facing the fight straight on.

“Guilty.” Ron could only let out a sigh of relief. It was finally over in knowing full justice was given to the female that had caused the most pain.

The ruling closed the court as the others in the group – Clayton, Jason and William Dumal had both plead guilty on charges, agreeing to testify against Hilary and David. It was nice to hear that Hilary was done for, though they had to admit that they were caught off-guard on David’s innocence.

The group worked at moving forward, not wanting to dwell on the topic any longer. They knew that Luke had a case against David on the other end, and there’d be no worries. The pain was over.

It was now time to focus on the future –themselves, each other, their friendships, racing, and growing as a group.

The End

Keep an eye out for ”Falling Deeper”, which is set to tell the tale of how Jimmie and Candiss continue to fall more for each other. Also, keep an eye out for “Back to Square One”, which is set to follow Ron Malec as he moves forward from the set of events that happened.

That’s right – two sequels. I couldn’t decide which direction that I wanted to go so I went both routes.

Taking one more deep breath, I suck up all the butterflies that my body was trying to muster and continue the walk towards pit road. Just as expected, the swarm of media that had been standing by pit road had noticed and immediately surrounded me without a second to spare.

One second I am in my own world enjoying a day at the track, next second I surrounded by cameras and voice recorders. Oh well, all part of being part of this racing circus.

“Mr. Malec, how are you doing?” That was the first question that I noticed, probably because multiple reporters had repeated it at the same time. Taking a deep breath, I knew how to handle this with ease – be truthful and honest to a certain extent.

“I am feeling alright,” I answer with ease. “I am still pretty sore and feeling the affects from what happened, but I am doing okay. I’m just taking it one day at a time and letting everything heal accordingly. It’ll be awhile yet, but in a couple months it should be like nothing happened.” That was the doctors had told me anyway, and so far I had believed them on the progress thus far.

“Can you talk to us about what happened?” Oh yes, I will be sure to tell you how myself and Jimmie got involved in a street racing circus, pissed off some crazed human being whom figured out Jimmie’s true identity and kidnapped me for the hell of it out of anger. Considering that story, I should make a film out of this and at least profit from everything.

“I cannot speak about the details surrounding about what happened due to the pending court case surrounding those involved. Furthermore, I do not feel comfortable discussing those details with you.” The first part was what I was advised to say via Dom and Hendrick’s PR department as it was a good scape goat, till we showed up in a court room. The second part was the fact that I would never tell them everything as this was meant to be kept a secret.

“It was released that the individuals have a background in street racing. Is that how you became associated with them?” Ah of course. Let me tell you how I got involved in street racing, how I pulled out of it but a certain Sprint Cup Series champion continued and then crossed the paths of these lovely individuals.

“Nope. I can tell you that I had no prior associations with the individuals that attacked me.” That was the biggest bluff thus far and I hated lying, but I had to do what I had to protect to my ass and Jimmie’s ass.

“They also are supposedly related to a terrorist ploy. Did you know anything about that?” Ah of course, I did. I had someone run a background check on them once they got suspicious and knew that right away. I can tell you all the details of their little terrorism group.

“I do not know anything about that.” Yeah, yeah, I know I am lying through my teeth with ease. Don’t bug me, okay?

“Given that it has been stated by Jimmie, Hendrick Motorsports and now yourself that nobody had any prior associations or knowledge of them, how does that add up into you being attacked?” Well, let me take you down the road and connect those dots so you understand, while getting myself and Jimmie fired in the process. Sure, we may be able to find another team but do you think someone would want to sponsor us after that?

“According to the police investigation, it was determined to be a random attack in that they were looking attention and opportunity for whatever they had in mind. I want to thank the police and investigators for their due diligence in making sure that I made it out of there, relatively alright, and arresting the individuals before they could do more harm.” I just want to say an extra thank you to Dominic Torretto and Luke Hobbs for working extra hard within the police departments to make sure none of the investigation paperwork leaked out to anybody to figure out the necessary connections that we are hiding. They did a good job working that ‘high profile’ clause in to stop the release.

“Ron, are you ready for qualifying?” I hear over my shoulder and smile in seeing Jimmie standing there with Amanda and Dom. My savors were here to escort me away from the media swarm so I could continue on with my weekend as before.

“Absolutely boss,” I answer with a smile, slowly moving away from the group.

“Jimmie!” The media begins to yell, catching his attention. “How does it feel to have Ron back at the track this weekend?” That’s a reasonable question, I suppose.

“It feels awesome to have him back at the track this weekend,” he shares. “It shows that he’s recovering great and going to be fine. It’s also a great boost to the team to have everybody here and working hard together. Hopefully we can end the weekend with cowboy hats and six-shooters.” I wouldn’t mind that ending to the weekend, either, as translation – that meant victory lane baby.

“Thank you for your patience,” I offer as we leave the swarm behind and head down to his stall, where the crew had already pushed the car and Chad stood atop the pit box waiting.

“Did it go smoothly?” Amanda asks, and I know why she is asking already. She was in charge of the media image for Jimmie and the team. It was apparent that she knew the details.

“I answered each of the questions with enough information to satisfy, but nothing to tip them off. They were all very co-operative and patient, and I don’t think there will be any issues.” That was obviously my non-professional opinion, duh.

“Glad to hear.” She then heads off to do her job of tweeting updates and such, leaving us crew guys and Dom to ourselves.

“Are you alright?” Jimmie questions, catching me off-guard as I glance towards him. “I mean, after everything with the media. I just wanted to make sure that you were alright.” I totally understood the question as he was worried about flashbacks, or whether anything was acting up for me in regards to pain and such. The nap had done me well, in honesty, as I had nothing to complain about.

“I’m fine,” I assure him. “Just focus on doing your job behind the wheel. I can take care of myself.” He shakes his head as he heads off, grabbing his helmet and HANS to get ready to climb in the car.

With the media out of the way, it was time to focus. We had a job at hand this weekend and we planned to finish it out in style.

I couldn’t honestly tell you how excited I was right now. I couldn’t tell you how much it meant to be getting onto the plane, sitting down in the seat and looking out, knowing where I was headed. I couldn’t tell you how much it meant to be landing, set for the race weekend ahead of us. This was just a trip to a track, but it meant so much for so many reasons.

Guess what? I finally got to bust out of “recovery jail”. I was allowed by everybody surrounding me who had been dictating my dos and don’ts to attend this weekend’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. Can you see why I am excited now?

I wasn’t allowed to fully return to my position on the team, but I was allowed to attend the event and hang out with my guys as they tried to shake the recent string of bad luck. Chad had shared without letting the others know that I could help out with a couple of things, but everything was going to be limited. Given my current recovery and how I was doing, I was well enough to attend but not much beyond that. given that there was only three races remaining on the schedule, I was told to focus on recovering and set my full return back to next year.

With each passing day, it was getting easier. The stomach wound from the tube was healing accordingly, and I was able to now walk around with only a touch of pain here and there. The bruises from the belt had healed to where there was only a touch pain here and there, as well, but nothing that I could complain too severely about it.

The drugs were the worst part of the recovery part, though. I still had that nagging chest pain as everything was still working at healing from what had happened. Sometimes it worse than others, but it was enough that I couldn’t do any strenuous activities, which meant no running, working-out or anything that would raise my heartbeat. If I could keep myself calm and collected, it was just a small pain that I could normally erase from my thoughts. However, anymore than that and you might as well say that I was frozen in time.

“So what’s the plan?” I question as we reach the track in the rental car. Chad had taken up driving – save me, he was a bit of a crazy driver – with half of the crew piling in with Dom. We were set to meet Jimmie and Candiss at the track after they had stayed in the motorcoach.

“We’re going to head into the garage as normal,” Chad answers, acting as if there was nothing different about this weekend. “We’re going to go about our normal weekend activities. As for you, you can help out a little, but remember what we discussed. If you start to feel tired or such, feel free to take some time to relax in either in the trailer, or back at Jimmie’s coach. Just remember to take care of yourself.” I had to roll my eyes. That seemed to be the normal statement of the day as I heard it at least once every couple of hours from someone. I had a feeling that wouldn’t slow down at all over the weekend. Though, my question didn’t stem around that directly. I had a bigger thought on the mind at the moment.

“What about the media?” I hated to worry myself with them, but I had no choice. The ensuing events had become a big story, with everyone having questions and concerns. I had no doubt in my mind that someone would say something upon seeing my face for the first time since then, probably wanting to know something from me. Given that we worked for Hendrick Motorsports, they always had a plan of attack in situations of this nature. So, what was the plan?

“That’s why I am here,” Dom speaks up, causing me to look at him oddly and curiously. Wasn’t he here for security? What did he know about the media? “I spoke with Amanda this past week. She’s going to handle everything for Jimmie this weekend, while I handle everything for you. Any requests will come through me. You can answer how much you want, with whatever detail that you want. If they start to become too personal or annoying, I will rightfully tell them that we’re done and handle things from there.” Okay, so maybe the guy was good for more than his abilities to handle official guard business. I didn’t mind this guy after all. I just hoped that he could follow his own rules, or else we may run into some problems this weekend.

“Is that okay with you?” Chad double checks and I simply shake my head yes. As long as he did his job and the weekend went smoothly, I didn’t have nay objections. I was just glad to get out of the house, to be honest. It felt nice to be back at the track once again. “Okay. Oh, and Rick says that you better take care of yourself of he’s going to kick your ass himself.”

“I don’t have any doubt about that,” I offer, knowing Rick well enough to know that was the truth.

“He wouldn’t be the only one, though,” Cody shares as I glance towards the youngster. “I’d help him. Just because you’re back doesn’t mean that you can dive in head first. The team is in good hands, and can handle you taking a quiet approach.” I couldn’t help but smile. It was great watching him grow more and more into the role, knowing that he’d be a great crew chief.

Though for now, it was time to focus on this weekend and having some success.

Why was it so hard to open my eyes? Why did they feel like they weighed 200 pounds? I could hear the voices around me.

I could hear the tears that my mom was sniffling beside me. I could hear my father talking about Jimmie and everything that he had learned, since Jimmie had so kindly told my parents the entire truth. You could tell that it didn’t go over well with my father, and I could almost guarantee a lecture at some point. But for now, I wanted to open my darn eyes and look at my mom. I wanted to assure her that I’d be okay.

I also wanted to assure Jimmie that I’d be okay. I heard him earlier – you could say an hour ago. He had muttered some words to Candiss about feeling sorry for everything that had happened, the regret that he felt, his response to my father’s obvious anger, and it broke my heart. I just wanted to open my eyes and assure him that it’d be okay.

Why was it so hard to open my eyes?

I remembered all the details of the room. I remembered Hilary grabbing me and stuffing me in her car. I remembered waking up in her torture chamber. I remember the discussions of the injections that she was going to give me. I remember feeling the pain of the leather belt against my body. I remember feeling a needle go in, numbing the pain that I had felt. I remembered the panic and screams that set in with Dom and Jimmie’s entrance in the room. Somehow, I could even picture a second injection, but don’t quote me on that.

Everything brought forth two thoughts – pain and panic. There was pain that I knew I’d be feeling, probably along my legs and waist where I felt the leather smack against the cloth of my uniform. I also knew there’d probably be pain along my wrists and ankles, where she had bound me down to the table. There was panic – panic in whether I’d be okay, panic from my friends and family out of their own worry for me.

Taking a deep breath – or so I thought it felt like one, feeling a bit of confusion in feeling something pressed against my face, I knew that I couldn’t hide within my own world any longer. They deserved to know that I was alright, and I had to face what was out there.

I slowly let my eyes open, taking in the sights that surround me.

I could see Jimmie leaning against the wall with Candiss by his side. I’m thankful that he has Candiss to keep him strong while he worried and went through his emotions. I may have been skeptical bout her at the beginning, but she was earning her chops. I could see my parents sitting beside me out of the corner of my eye, glancing back with shock on their faces, perhaps happy tears, in knowing that their baby was awake and going to be okay.

Though, as predicted, I felt a pain immediately engulf me, feeling pain along my wrists, ankles and legs. Yep, that was obviously going to happen. If you combine that with an odd pain in the side of my stomach from something, I felt the need to scream upon entering the world. Perhaps I should’ve stayed where I was a little longer. I also felt an odd pain in my chest – perhaps being caused by the second injection that I thought I remembered. Something potassium like that was supposed to stop my heart, I think.

“Easy Ron,” my mom states as she grabs my hand, rubbing it. I tried to move, though found that hard to do with all the tubes that I thought I felt around me.

I went to talk, say something in return – ask questions, assure them that I was okay – though found that moving my mouth wasn’t something that I could do. What was going on?

I felt my heartbreak begin to quicken as panic and worry set in with the foreign objects that I felt, and inability to do things. Why couldn’t I move much? Why couldn’t I speak? What was against my face? What was going? I was rescued, right? I’m in the hospital. This looks like a hospital. Oh my….

“Easy Mr. Malec,” I hear a doctor say as he flashes a bright light in my eyes. Too bright, too bright – close immediately. Why did I open my eyes to begin with? “Good reaction time. Now, Mr. Malec, I need you to calm down please…” I wanted to do as he requested, but yet so many questions entered my mind. I needed to know what was going on.

“Easy Ron….” My mother states once again, continuing to rub my hand. I wished that it’d calm me down, but it didn’t seem to be helping.

“You have a tube down your throat helping you breathe. You were injected with potassium chloride. It’s meant to stop your heart, but we were able to counteract before it did damage and you should make it out with issues. The tube is there while your chest and body heals from the injection. I need to remain relaxed. If we see signs of continued improvement, perhaps we can work at removing the tube tomorrow or Wednesday.” That explained why I couldn’t talk. That explained why my chest felt like it was on fire. That explained why there was thing pushing against my face. Reasonably so that was fine as I understood what the doctor was saying. As long as I was going to be okay, that’s what mattered. I just hoped that he continued to assure my parents and Jimmie of that fact.

“See babes, you’re going to be okay…” Okay, so my parents were getting the message. I guess being awake that’d help them feel better too, right? I mean, it’s always nice when you can somewhat communicate.

“Now, I don’t want you moving much as there’s a tube in your stomach. We had to flush out your system due to the amount of drugs and looking to save you. Before we remove the vent, we will be knocking you out and removing that, and stitching as required.” Great. I have a hole in the side of my stomach because of that bitch. Isn’t that pleasant? No wonder I am in pain! Deep breathes, Ron, deep breathes. You’re going to be okay. Just be thankful that you’re going to be okay.

“How long will that take to heal?” I hear Jimmie’s voice, barely. I could tell that he was worried by how quiet he was. I wanted to simply wrap my arms around him and tell him it wasn’t his fault. I wanted to tell my father to lay off of him, too. I just wanted everything perfect, if you will.

“It will take 2-3 weeks for the wound to heal, Mr. Johnson,” the doctor states and I immediately roll my eyes. That meant 2-3 weeks of barely any movement and pain. Excuse me while I scream now. “Also, be careful with your IV as we have fluids working our way through. Given the strain on your face, I’ll increase your dosage of morphine to help you there.” Finally! Thank you! If he hadn’t done that, I was tempted to just fall back into my own world of peace. I almost did – but they stopped me. I couldn’t leave Jimmie and my parents worrying. “I’ll come back to check on you later. For now, focus on resting and getting better….” With that, the doctor left the room.

Okay, what else am I supposed to do? I can’t move off of this bed. I can’t talk due to this stupid tube down my throat. I can’t even try and move because of another stupid tube stuck in the side of my stomach. So answer me – what else am I supposed to do except rest and focus on getting better?

I knew there was one thing that I could do, though. I had to do this as I had to ease some of Jimmie’s worry. I may not be able to ease his heart and worry totally, but I had to give him some comfort. He was my best friend and he didn’t deserve to shoulder the blame.

I lift my free arm – right arm – off of the bed slowly and point his direction, motioning for him to come closer.

“You want to see me?” He asks quietly and I shake my head yes, slowly and not very much obviously. I watch as he slowly walks over, timidly. I swear I could kick his ass right now for how he was acting and feeling.

As soon as he reaches the bed, I wrap my arm around him, pulling him into a hug. I couldn’t say the words. I couldn’t explain my thought. However, I could only hope that hug would be enough of a message for the next 24 hours till I could tell him how I felt.

“I love you too buddy,” he replies as I finally release him from the hug. “Focus on getting better. It’s going to be okay.” I then watch as he slowly returns to his spot. My hug did enough in getting through – for now – as I could see his mood lighten a little. However, certainly more was needed. I also could see the hesitation around my parent, and that was getting cleared up tomorrow as well.

I didn’t care what Jimmie thought. I didn’t care what my parents thought. There was only one thing that mattered, and that was the fact that I was going to be okay and it wasn’t his fault.

Chapter 82: Apologies and Explainations

Jimmie’s POV – Tuesday – 5pm EST

My heart ached. It pained me to see him laying there in pain with tubes here and there and everywhere, doing various things. I swore I was going to cry harder than I ever thought possible when I walked in here and saw him Sunday night, knocked out with tubes everywhere.

That ache has eased with seeing him awake and seeing truth to the doctor’s words that he would be okay. The breathing tube had been removed, along with the tube that they had inserted in his stomach. They still were giving him oxygen – something about making it easy as possible to breathe while his chest healed – and the IV with pain meds and fluids. But, he was going to be okay and that was the main thing.

It was also hard at times to stand in the room. I had done the honest and what I believed the right thing to do in telling his parents the whole truth. I told them everything from when we started our troubles as teens to now. They deserved to know the truth with having seen Ron’s condition. I apologized numerous times along the way also.

Those apologies had gone unnoticed by his father, though. It still felt like he wanted to strangle me. He kept giving me a death stare, and looked to barely tolerating my appearance in the room. I wasn’t leaving the room, though, as I cared about my best friend and was going to be here for him. I got him stuck in this mess, and I was going to for sure help him.

“How are you feeling?” I finally squeak out. After leaving the room to have the stomach tube removed and stitches put in, he had returned about an hour later. They then waited for him wake up, removing the tube and requesting a period of quiet time. The doctor had just checked in, clearing everything, so he was set to rock ‘n’ roll with talking as normal.

“Sore,” he replies with a glance over my way. It was evident by the look on his face. “My chest feels like its on fire, my side is just unbearable pain it seems, and I can barely move. But – it’s okay. I’m going to be okay and everything will heal. The pain pills will start doing what they need to do. I’m okay, Jimmie. You can stop worrying.” Was it that obvious that I was worried? I didn’t try to make it obvious, standing in the background and allowing his parents to take front stage. I mean, I did cause this mess, right?

“I’m sorry, man. I’m sorry….” I couldn’t hold back apologizing. Candiss, Chad and Dom each have tried to convince me that it wasn’t my fault, however let’s face it – they didn’t know the truth. They didn’t know that Ron had tried to chase me away from these people and I had failed to listen.

“It’s not your faul-” Are we really going to do this?

“It is my fault!” I then take a deep breath, calming myself back down. It wasn’t fair to yell here. “I didn’t listen to you. You warned me that something would happen. You warned me that I would regret it later on. I didn’t listen to you and look where we are.”

“Right, but it’s not your fault. It’s not your fault that David, Clayton and Hilary did what they did to me. It’s not your fault that they made those decisions after what happened. Besides, it was both of us who decided to get wrapped up in this in the beginning.” I wanted to believe him. I wanted to let the guilt go, but it was so hard to do that.

“If he would’ve listened, then he never would’ve met this David guy and there never would’ve been any issue,” Ron’s dad then fumes, filling in my exact thoughts.

“But that’s not what happened,” Ron starts as he looks over at his dad. Great – now I’ve started issues with his parents. Kick the guilt meter up another notch, please. “It was his decision. I didn’t get stuck in it due to not listening. I got stuck in it because Hilary wanted to kidnap someone on the team to send a messa-”

“Because he got invov-”

“Dad, it was both our decision to get involved when we were younger! Heck, Jimmie didn’t want to go street racing originally. I was the one that wanted to go, but knew he was the better driver. If you’re going to blame anyone, blame me for getting him involved originally! No – better yet, blame the people who actually did this to me!” I found my guilt disappearing in hearing his explanation as perhaps I was being too hard on myself. Everybody makes their own decisions, and it was Hilary who decided to inject Ron with those needles.

“Ron, you’re not getting what we’re say-”

“I get what you’re saying, Dad!” I watch as Ron places his hand on his chest, taking a deep breath. Maybe this was a bad time for this at all. “About 98% percent of the people that you meet there are good people that are just looking for a fun time. They are just people wanting to test the limits of themselves and their cars and show-off. They’re just general car guys who want to discuss why they love their cars, and enjoy the thrill. Hence why it was a lot of fun back then. Of course, there’s always that small group that ruins it for everybody. Can you honestly put all that blame on Jimmie’s shoulders? No!” He had a point. That was the truth back then and in every group, there’s always someone that ruins it or perhaps causes a problem. Deep breath Jimmie, deep breath. Remember – it wasn’t your fault.

“Ron, I still feel bad though as David was originally after me,” I tell him, which was the truth. Remember –the bounty was on my head. “You weren’t ever supposed to be involved.”

“But I got involved and this happened,” he says. “Can we change that now? No. Can we look back and have regrets? Sure, but that’s both of our fault for doing what we did then. Jimmie, things are not going to change moving forward. You’re still my best friend and I still love you like a brother. We’re still going to be close as ever, working on racecars and muscle cars together.”

“Ron….” I hear his mom and know what she’s thinking already.

“Don’t worry Mrs. Malec, we both promise to behave and stick to racing on the track, right Ronnie?” I question and Ron shakes his head yes with a smile. I couldn’t help but smile in return. It felt nice to hear him say that things wouldn’t change and that he was willing to let this go. With a glance over at his dad, I just hoped that he’d feel the same way at some point.

“I’m glad to hear that Jimmie. Just make sure you take care of my boy.” I smile and shake my head, agreeing. She didn’t have to worry. I’m sure Chad and I will be keeping a close eye on him.

“You have nothing to worry about ma’am. I just hope that we can square things away.” That last comment was meant for his father as my eyes found his. It seemed that his anger was softening so perhaps we were having an effect.

“Just make sure you win this weekend for me, okay?” I shake my head in agreement. We had to win. We had to win so we could move on to the next round in the championship. It was going to be about putting everything on the line at Talladega this coming weekend.

“Buddy, I’m going to be trying extra hard just for you.” If I ever needed a further push to try harder, the combination of championship dreams and a win for a friend was the perfect ticket to that.

It was time to go win in Talladega.

Chapter 83: Talladega

Jimmie’s POV – Friday

I hated leaving the hospital. I wanted to stay there and be with him and help him through the recovery. However, I couldn’t stay there. I had to go to Talladega and finish what we started this year. I had to win the race and advance us in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, and win the championship for Ron. It was simple as that.

There was some ease when I left the hospital.

I had called Rick and gave him a big thank you in allowing me to stay in Kansas with Ron, versus traveling back to North Carolina and doing other commitments that us drivers normally have. I thanked him for his patience, acceptance of everything involved, and clearing my schedule.

I also thanked the crew guys – Chad, Cody, the rest of them – for patience in not seeing me for the week. That apology wasn’t needed as they were more concerned with how Ron was doing.

Ron was also showing signs of improvement. He was breathing more and more on his own with the amount of oxygen they were giving him decreasing each day. He still had some pain, but it was becoming manageable. He was also talking more and starting to even move a bit. They even hinted that they could possibly allow him to head home next week. I told him to take it easy cheering for us this weekend.

Returning to the track, I was set to focus on driving the car – running the pair of Friday practices and getting the car to handle as best as I could in our single car runs. I wanted to make sure that we had the best car possible to win the race and accomplish our goal.

However, in between those practices, there was something else that took my schedule – time with the media. It was supposed to be my time to go discuss our chances, how badly we need to win to move forward and the frustration of the past couple of weeks. Obviously, you could imagine how quickly that went off course because they had something else to talk about.

I answered the questions, easily, explaining that Ron was doing better but had a long road to recovery. They didn’t need specifics – HMS had released that – but it was nice and comforting to hear from my perspective that he would be okay. They asked about his recovery time and how long he wouldn’t be at the track – I told them I wasn’t sure. They asked about his replacement, in which I explained that Cody and the other engineers were stepping up for the time being. Who knew Cody was such a cool dude.

The questions then stemmed back to the racing, in which I answered with ease. What was my strategy? Go out, run up front all day, lead the most laps and win. Was I confident? I believed that we had a good car. How do I feel about Talladega being an elimination race? That wasn’t such a cut clear answer as there’s good and bad to that.

The next 20 minute went by smoothly without any issues. It surprised me, honestly, as I was waiting for someone to bring up Ron’s deal once again. It was going to be just a matter of time before they tried to play connections in how this guy had found us, whether through me or Ron. It was just a matter of time before I put together a series of lies for those questions. However, I never had the opportunity as they kept quiet. Perhaps they’re waiting for Ron’s return – no clue.

With the media availability complete, I returned to the hauler to discuss more with Chad about our plan for the second practice. It was simple – run by ourselves to avoid trouble while working on the handling. The discussion just stemmed around discussing things that we wanted to try.

“Media go smoothly?” Chad asks as I walk into the hauler and take my seat on the couch. I simply shake my head yes.

“They asked a couple questions as to how he was but nothing else,” I answer, knowing what Chad was wondering. He still hadn’t come to accepting my street racing past – I could tell it still stemmed an evil cord with him. However, he was willing to look past it if I didn’t go back down that road.

“Do you do those question sessions every week?” I hear a male voice and glance over to see Dom there. Considering that we were predicting the seas to a little rough, he had come along. Besides, I think he was starting to enjoy being at the track after last weekend.

“Yep. They’re a way for the media to talk to us to get quotes so they can write stories. We help them by answering questions so they help us by promoting the sport.” Hence why I play the part of a media darling, even when I want to kill them.

“Anybody heard from Ron?” Chad then questions and I put my hand up. There was a reason why my phone was glued to my hand. He had been texting me throughout the day already, checking in to see how things were going.

“Is he doing okay?” Candiss asks and I shake my head yes. That had been the least of the discussion as Ron was more concerned about the car, as usual.

“Sore, but pain killers are working,” I answer, remembering his response from earlier. “And Chad, he says he’s watching practice and keeping an eye on you so you better behave.” I watch as the crew chief chuckles with a quick thumbs up as he goes through his notes. “Oh, and he says we should hurry up and win the race quickly to give him a break from his parents.” Let’s just say that they can be over-bearing, concerning at times and turn into being annoying. At least they had stopped giving me the evil eye and agreed to move forward without any regrets. It certainly helped me feel better.

“Tell him it will be worth it once he’s holding the trophy,” Chad offers with a smile as I type that back to Ron in a response.

The more we talked about winning, the more I wanted to win the race and take him back a trophy. But, this is Talladega – and we know anything is possible at Talladega.

I hear a knock at the door. I knew who it was supposed to be. Given the notice that I had received that they were going to accept the plan, they would be here at this time. Taking a deep breath, I knew this was the moment that we had been waiting for.

I open the door and glance at the crowd of people, immediately placing their names.

Jimmie Johnson – our original target for David’s random reasons and hatred of being beaten on the streets. I didn’t get why we had to go after the precious ‘Stig’ as he was just some street racer who seemed to be quick on that avenue. Why weren’t we focusing on other plans? Didn’t we have that plan to blow up that building? However, when David sets his mind on something I might as well help. The quicker he gets done with that plan, the quicker we could focus on other avenues.

Candiss Vanders – the girl that had quickly found a connection with Johnson and was supposed to help us get closer to him through our evil doings, thanks to discussions and payment. So much for that panning out as easy as we thought.

Dominic Toretto – the street racer bad ass turned friendly cop helper now. It’s surprising, considering his rap sheet and everything that he did, that the man has found a conscious now, and the fact that the cops are okay with them helping them in this day and age. It seemed odder than anything that I could place in this group.

Finally, my eyes lay on David and indeed, he surprisingly walks as a free man. There was no hand-cuffs or nothing to hold him back as he could walk straight up to me and hug me without bounds.

“Who’s there?” I hear my hostage let out and immediately watch as Jimmie darts over without hesitation. That shouldn’t be a surprise as given things, he didn’t care about myself or David, but rather his best friend. There was a reason why I didn’t mind having the car chief off of the team. Research showed that Jimmie and Ron had been friends for a long time. It was the perfect method to lure him.

“We’re here,” Jimmie tells him. “We’re going to get you out of here. Everything is going to work out. You’re going to be okay.” I could only hope that Jimmie’s words played true But that’d simply play on the actions of Dominic and how he handled David’s release.

“How do you know?” Good question hostage, good question.

“We have a plan. It’s going to work. I promise. I got you stuck in this mess and I’m getting you out.” I almost froze at those words. The fact that he said that he had a plan. Why would they need a plan? Weren’t they just handing over David and working an equal trade?

As if on cue, discussion begins between Dominic and David about terms of the trade and how things were going to forth continue. My eyes simply locked on them as I watched the pair argue back and forth, each passing second getting more heated than the previous.

I felt my body freeze as I watched Dominic grab David and pull his arm back, holding him in a hold. I knew the next move….Candiss. You could just see it in her eyes. The pair of them read off of each other and it was like she knew that she had to grab me next.

Well, that’s not happening.

“That wasn’t part of the plan!” I instantly yell as Dom gives David a shove forward, pushing him face first to the ground, knocking him out. I immediately break away without hesitation. There was no way in hell that blond bitch was touching me. If she was, there was something that I was going to do first.

“We lied,” I hear Dom say behind me, followed by a pair of feet. I could tell that they were coming my way but I had a plan of my own first.

I immediately headed Jimmie’s direction, giving him a shove away from Ron, watching as he lands flat back against the wall. I didn’t need to look up and see him slide down the wall as the force and sound that I heard told me that he was probably in for a shock – either knocked out, or at least startled.

I then reach for the table that I had perfectly sitting beside Ron, picking up the needle that was set to go at any moment. I knew there was risk of the plan screwing up. I knew that they’d have a plan of their own. No government lets go a federal fugitive with ease.

I stick the needle immediately into the skin, pushing the plunger down as the liquid goes into the subject below me. I continue to push the plunger as I feel arms wrap around my shoulders, pulling me back away, clutching me tightly. I could only laugh. I knew I was going to jail. That was given as soon as we got stuck in this mess. But, that didn’t mean I was going to go easily and without a fight.

“Good luck with your friend,” I say as Dom pulls my wrists forcefully and I feel cold metal clamp around them, unable to move them from behind my back.

I watch a scurry of people run in the room, with an officer taking my grasp. I easily let them pull me back out of the room, watching as Candiss attends to her precious boyfriend, and Dom and some other individual – Chad, I think – go by Ron’s side with the paramedics. I could only laugh at the sight before me.

Pain. All that I feel is pain as it fills my back, from my shoulders all the way to my butt. Opening my eyes, I can only lay there in a daze and think – why am I in so much pain?

Wait….Ron….the needle….Hilary….the push….David. Holy shit!

“Ron!” I let out in a panic, sitting up in an instant, not caring about the pain anymore. I could deal with that later. All that mattered to me right now was my best friend and whether he was okay. I just hope Hilary didn’t get to him.

“Easy Jimmie….” I hear as Candiss brushes my arm. I glance over into her eyes, seeing a fury of worry. That never makes me feel good. Something happened once I was passed out.

“Ron….” I then go to stand up, but immediately a hand presses against my body, forcing me to stay in the same pot and lay back. “Ro-” Don’t they understand that I need to get to my friend?

“Sir, you need to calm down,” I hear a voice tell me. Who is that? “You were just knocked out and have back pain. Pre precautionary measures, you aren’t supposed to move.” Yeah, he obviously doesn’t get the scenario at hand. Listen buddy, I’m fine. Just let me get to my friend.

“Let me get to Ro-” I start, determined to ignore him.

“Sir, you need to remain still.” I could care less about your recommendations.

“Jimmie, there’s nothing that you can do right now,” Candiss start, and immediately my heart feels like breaking. Normally when you hear those words, that means the end is here. He was right before me, and he was awake. We were going to make it out. Why did I have to let Hilary throw me off my game? “The medics have him and our addressing things accordingly, with prompt transportation to the local hospital to make sure he will be okay. Jimmie, he’s going to be fine. Just please co-operate, please.” So perhaps I was wrong with my thoughts. Either way, I guarantee that my heart was going through the mot bit of worry that I had ever gone through in my life.

The ride in the ambulance was the longest ride that I could have ever experienced. The entire time while they kept plastering me with questions, I could only think about Ron. I could only wonder how long it took for them to get to him. I could only wonder what happened after I was knocked out. I could only wonder how he was doing. Why weren’t I getting any updates sooner?

Those questions never got answered once I got to the hospital, either. They immediately took me down for x-rays and a CAT scan – you know, the mandatory normal crap. I simply co-operated, but could care less. All that mattered at that point was an update about my best friend.

Now returned to my current room for the time being, I could look around and wonder. Candiss sat by the bed, quietly, holding my hand as if to offer comfort. Trust me – didn’t help. I had asked her to leave and get me an update, but she told me that they wouldn’t say anything to her or Chad. That was always scary thing. When doctors don’t want to give an update that usually means that things are messy. I could only pray at this point, I suppose.

“Where’s Dom?” I wondered, breaking the silence in the room as Candiss sat in her usual spot, while Chad had taken up the right side of the bed. Supposedly, he wasn’t allowed to be around Ron either for the time being. That cared me more than anything as normally when they clear out a room, ya….fill in the blanks.

“He went to the police station with Hilary and David,” she offers, which was understandable. He was one of the investigative workers so he’d have to fill out the paperwork and such that was required.

I watched as the curtain got pulled back, watching a doctor appear before us. I could see that he had a chart in hand, probably containing the results of my x-ray and such. I could care less. I would be okay. Nothing felt broken and there wasn’t much of a headache. Just tell me the details on Ron and we can move forward.

“Mr. Johnson, correct?” He asks and I simply shake my head yes without a word. “I’m Dr. Shepherd. How are you feeling?” Is that really necessary, doc?

“Just worried about my friend,” I offer, not really caring to answer for myself as he probably originally intended.

“I’d presume you’re speaking of Mr. Malec, correct?” I shake my head yes, hoping that he’d just dive right into Ron’s file and be done with mine. “I have an update for you as you are the emergency contact, along with a Mr. Hendrick when the family isn’t here.” Thank you! “First, though, I would like to give you your results.”

“If you must.” Like I said, I could care less what they said.

“The x-ray came back clean as a whistle so any lingering pain that you’re experiencing is simply due to bruising from the incident. Simple pain killers will help ease the pain as it heals, which I could prescribe if you require.” Again, I could care less. I told you that I’d be fine. “The CAT scan came back clean with no signs of lingering effects, despite being knocked out. With that said, we do have to keep you overnight for observation.” I wasn’t planning on leaving the hospital any time soon if he was curious about that. I had someone to see and take care of.

“Okay.” As long as you let me visit my friend during my stay overnight, I will not kill you sir.

“Now, Mr. Malec…” I watch as he flips over to Ron’s file, feeling my stomach tie up into a series of knots immediately. “Ms. Evans certainly had her way with him and there’s no doubt that his condition is currently serious. For starters, he was injected with a muscle relaxor – pancuronium. That was followed by an injection of potassium chloride.” I felt my heart stop at hearing details of the second injection. That was the injection that was supposed to stop his heart….

“He’s going to be okay though, right?” That’s all that mattered right now.

“Like I said, his condition is currently serious, as he’s currently listed as critical and is in the Intensive Care Unit, under the direction of our most detailed department.” Again, this isn’t comforting. “Since we caught the second injection early, we should be able to counteract it before the effects take over and cause serious problems, such as death. However, I will tell you that the first 24 hours will be critical.” Once again, this wasn’t comforting one bit.

“He’s going to be okay,” Candiss offers, continuing to squeeze my hand for comfort. I hoped that she was right.

“He’s a fighter,” Chad adds. “He’ll get through this.” I knew that Chad was right in those words. I just hoped that he put on the best fight he could as he had to make it through this.

“He’s currently on a vent to help him breathe while we work at removing the drug from his system,” the doctor continued. “Once the drugs are removed and his system starts turning around, he should wake up and we will go from there in removing the vent and returning to normal. The drug are currently being removed via a stomach tube, as we’re basically simply flushing out his entire system as that’s the easiest way to handle this.” I honestly wanted to puke as I heard these details. He shouldn’t be going through this. It was my fault. Why didn’t I listen to him?

“It’s going to be okay….” Candiss offers once again, obviously sensing my nerves with the situation at hand. Do you honestly blame me?

“He’s currently has an IV in him, giving him pain medicine and fluids. The pain medicine will be critical when he wakes up so that way he isn’t too much pain, as there are many marks across his body from being hit with a belt.” Yeah, you don’t need to tell me that one. I saw the video evidence myself. “We also are performing dialysis as the injections have caused hyperkalemia, which is an excessive amount of potassium in the blood. Basically, dialysis is the act of flushing the blood through a system to clean it before replenishing it back in the body. So between the vent, stomach tube, IV and dialysis – like I said, things are on a serious note right now.” He didn’t need to emphasis that as it was pretty clear. When they start mentioning word that you don’t understand, and things to help you breath, you know it’s serious. “Now, has the family been contac-”

“I called his parents and Rick, our boss, is arranging flight transportation,” Chad cut him off before he had continued. Good job crew chief because I had no idea how I was explaining this one.

“Okay. When they arrive, please have them come see me.”

“Will do.”

“Is there anyway that I can go see him?” I ask, just taking a chance in the dark. Sometimes they let you, sometimes they don’t. Perhaps seeing him would ease my worries…..perhaps.

“I can let you go see him for a couple of hours, but you need to be back in your room here by 9pm per hospital rules,” the doctor tells me. My friend, that’s good enough for me.

Chapter 80: Visiting

Jimmie’s POV

I knew I had to go see him. I knew I had to go see how he was doing. I knew that I had to watch over him and make sure that he was okay. I knew that I had to help him once he got out of the hospital with whatever he needed with.

I just wasn’t sure if I was prepared to see him laid up in the bed from what she had done to him. The simple thought of hearing the details, from needles to belts, it just made me want to puke. It wasn’t fair.

Taking a deep breath, I continue moving my feet slowly, watching as Chad opens the door to his room before me. I simply walk in, pushing all fear aside and go over to the bed.

I was a little sore, but not that bad considering that I had been slammed into a brick wall. However, compared to what Ron had gone through, it felt like nothing.

My eyes finally laid on my best friend, immediately following the tube that was inserted in his mouth. Closing my eyes, reminding myself to remain calm, I reopened them with a deep breath. The doctor had said that he was on a breathing vent till he woke up and they knew that he’d be okay breathing on his own. It was part of the healing process due to the second injection. He was going to be okay.

I notice the other tubes in other place – the IV with the fluids, the blood pump machine thingy (I think they called that dialysis) and the stomach tube to clear out his stomach. I could only shake my head, and silently continuing saying to myself that he was going to be okay and make it through this.

He was going to wake up soon. He was going to be fine breathing on his own. He was going to be able to walk out of here without any trace of what happened, able to live his life like he had been doing before. The doctor said that everything would work out. Okay, he said things were critical and we wouldn’t know for sure but bare with me. I was going with the words that everything would work out as I couldn’t bare to think otherwise.

“We have about two hours before visiting hours are over and you have to go back to your room for the night,” Chad offers as I take a seat in the chair beside his bed.

There was a pair of chairs. He didn’t have a girlfriend – I teased him about that at times, but Ms. Right hadn’t entered his life yet. The next best thing to occupy these chairs would be his parents, but they hadn’t arrived yet. I could only imagine the disbelief on their faces when they heard the details of how he was doing and what happened. I knew that I had to face them and tell them the truth to everything as they deserved to know with what their son had gone through. However, how could you bring yourself to tell his parents what happened? It was my fault. I don’t think they’d ever be able to forgive easily.

“The doctor wants to see his parents when they get here,” I recalled, remembering his words. I wondered why the doctor wanted to talk to them directly. Perhaps simply to answer any direct questions that they had, or perhaps to sign off on the paperwork. “I want to talk to them, too.”

“Are you sure about that?” Chad asks as he sits down in the chair beside me.

“They need to hear the truth from me. They deserve to hear the truth, Chad.” The blame and heartbreak must’ve been evident in my voice as the crew chief wrapped an arm around me to pull me a little closer.

“Jimmie, you can’t blame yourself. Sure, it dealt with you getting involved with this street racing thing. Sure, Ron had tried to convince you otherwise. However, it wasn’t your fault. This all goes on the shoulders of David, Hilary and their crew for being as nut as they were.” Logically, the man was right as it was their actions and choices. However, how do you tell your heart that when your heart keeps reminding you of previous conversations? The heart sometimes even has as a good argument as it keeps telling me that my choices placed me in that situation. “Ron isn’t going to be mad at you, but whether the people who caused this. His parents may have a bit of frustration, but in the end, they know how much you guys care about each other and will see how bad you feel. You need to let it go, buddy.”

“I’m trying….” That’s all I could say. It was the sole truth as there was no ways of making this disappear over night. Perhaps as he got better it’d feel easier, I don’t know.

“I know you are. That’s a start. It’ll get easier over time.”

“You can’t live in regret as you won’t live your life like you need to,” a new voice chimes in as I glance up and watch Dom walk in the room. “You can’t think back to the mistakes that you made. You need to focus on doing the right thing moving forward, and doing what’s right for you and your family. By taking a step to walk away from this world, you’re doing that, and that’s all we can ask.” It was interesting to hear a different side of Dom, a quiet caring advice side. That didn’t bode well with the tough badass that he seemed to form in my perception thus far. However, I could see what he was saying. But how do those words make me move forward?

“And what if I would’ve done that sooner?” I offer, as that was the truth. If I had of listened to Ron one of those nights before I met David, we wouldn’t be here.

“You may have avoided what is happening right now, but everything happens for a reason. This happened to teach you a lesson that you will carry with you moving forward. This happened to teach Ron a lesson that he will carry forward. As you move forward, you’ll know what that lesson was and it will help you.” I wish I knew that lesson was now so make my heart feel a little easier.

“Plus, we wouldn’t have met each other like we did,” Candiss offers and I can only roll my eyes. That’s a lie. Doesn’t she remember the diner?

“We were already flirting at the din-” I start, recalling those fun times.

“It wouldn’t have been the same. I never would’ve accepted your ass that way, Johnson, and you know that. As Dom said, things happen for a reason. One of those reasons was for us to meet and move forward in life together. Another reason is perhaps to how you everything that you should be thankful for, and why the people that love you are trying to convince you so much to give that up.” She’s good….real good.

Honestly, her words made sense. Before my life was put in danger and some guy was after me, I thought I was invincible and couldn’t be touched in my street racing persona. Perhaps this is meant to simply ground me and give me the final real strong reason to give up what I thought was right.

Though a glance back at Ron, and I couldn’t decide in my heart if that was the true meaning and if that was strong enough to have my best friend lying here before me like he was. Besides, what lesson would he carry with him moving forward out of this?

1 hour and 15 minutes…..1 hour and 30 minutes….1 hour and 45 minutes….2 hours. It seemed that time was almost standing still with how slowly the hands were ticking around the clock. I watched the hour hand move during the first hour, before my concentration shifted to the minute hand. I then found myself watching the second hand.

With each movement, the chances at everything working out as planned were growing slimmer. I still held hope, though, as I couldn’t give up on my best friend. I just hoped that Candiss was right when she said we could trust someone like Dom.

Though reaching the two hour mark since the injection, it meant that only 60 minutes, or 3600 seconds remained on the clock. Based on the movements by the investigating officers, there were no leads and they hadn’t cracked anything. How was I supposed to continue to hold on to the small glimpse of hope?

“We have no other choice,” I heard Dom’s voice as I glanced over towards my left, taking my eyes off of the clock for the first time in an hour. For the past hour, I had one eye on the video feed, watching my best friend helplessly, while having an eye on the countdown.

“There’s nobody that would go for that option, Dominic,” I heard a response and could only assume that he was speaking with FBI Agent Luke Hobbs. I thought Dom was a badass dude, but found myself taken even further for surprise when Luke showed up earlier. It was no doubt that the man ran the operation by the first glance at him.

“We have to do something. We can’t just sit by and let this happen. I don’t work like that, Hobbs. Why can’t we even attempt the idea that I had?” Obviously, the pair was discussing Ron’s future. I could tell by Dom’s demeanor that he seemed desperate, obviously seeing the same signs that I was seeing. It also seemed that there was no other option other than to go with the trade, but was it easy to convince a federal agent that was a good idea?

“Do you realize what you’re asking for? We’re talking about someone on the terrorist list. There is no individual in my department or the government that would entertain the thought.” To the federal agent, these were two individuals – an innocent man, and a man that had shown signs of causing terror on a country. Were you willing to let someone of that capability loose? Obviously, though, things were different from my perspective as that was my best friend there. Obviously, things were different from Dom’s perspective as he was close with Candiss, and that connected to the pieces here.

“I’m not saying that we’re going to let him go. I just say that we tell them that we’re going to go about letting him go, make them sense that and get our hands back on Mr. Malec, and then re-arrest. A plan of deception, but enough to save all the lives at stake.” I had to admire the plan that Dom had. There was nothing in the deal that David had proposed that said he couldn’t be rearrested. As long as we got he location and had Ron safely back in our arms, that’s all that mattered.

“How do you know that it’s goi-”

“You just have to trust me, like always. Have I ever let you down?” I hoped the answer to the question was no because if there was no other choice, we were running out of time and made to make our move.

“You better hope that it works, because its my ass on the line and I’ll kick yours.” Those were the words that needed to be said. Taking a deep breath, it was only a matter of time before action picked up and we got closer to Ron. Hold on buddy, we’re coming.

I sit back and focus my eyes back on the screen as the pair come out of the room they were in, pretending that I hadn’t heard any of the conversation. It was rude to eavesdrop and I didn’t feel like pissing off a pair of guys that could kick my ass.

I could only watch as Dom made way into the holding room that David sat in and explained they were going to accept the proposition. I could only watch as a small smile crept on David’s face as he got what he wanted. I wish I could slap him right this second, but that wouldn’t accomplish anything.

I watched as Dom emerged from the small room with a cellphone in hand. I had watched him hand the phone to David with him typing a phone number. My number one guess had to be that the number belonged to Hilary and we were going to give her orders that we accepted the plan and to not move forward. Whether or not this worked out, we had just bought Ron some valuable time.

“We’re going to move out in about 20 minutes,” Dom finally speaks after getting off of the phone. “We’ve agreed to the terms of the trade as there are no other options. We’re going to let David lead us right to Ron, and get him back in our hands, and then re-arrest David, as well as Hilary. Jimmie, Candiss, you’re both coming.” I then look over at him confused. Didn’t police normally keep civilians out of their work? This seemed too dangerous of an operation to be asking for help.

“Why do you want them?” A new voice chimes in and I recognize it immediately. Leave it to Chad to ask the million dollar question out of his worry.

“We’re going to arrive and allow Jimmie and Candiss to enter, with agreement that they’re there to help Ron. We will then stand back as David and Hilary leave together, setting up trap outside. We will place them under arrest and then send emergency workers to attend to Ron. Does that fair?” It seemed like a decent plan. Convince them that this was all put together like they wanted with the perfect escape, and also allow Ron to get the help that he will need. What could go wrong? Wait – pretend I never asked that. It seemed to be the number one question that kept getting answered lately.

“I’m in,” I state as I stand up. I was willing to do whatever it took to get Ron back. This was my fault for getting him dragged back into this world of people despite his pleas for me to cut ties sooner. I was going to make up for that as soon as I could.

“I know this life too well and am willing to do it,” Candiss adds. “One last ride.” I see a small smile form on Dom’s face as he catches her glance.

“That’s what we said before – myself, Letty, you, Brian and Mia,” Dom recalls. Remind me to ask Candiss about the back story to that later. “Can you make it a promise this time?” I feel an arm wrap around me and pull me close, before I’m met with the sweet lips that I have come to adore and love over the past couple of weeks.

“It’s a promise. I’ve found my spot to settle down, and it’s time to leave the craziness where it belongs – in the past.” That’s exactly my thoughts as with how things had gone this time, I wasn’t willing to take any more chances.

“One last ride, then. Let’s just hope this one goes smoothly.”

As we head towards the door to go outside, I close my eyes and say a silent prayer. All that mattered was that everybody ended up being okay when everything was said and done.

Chapter 77: The Arrival

Jimmie’s POV

I wasn’t sure if the plan was going to work. I wasn’t sure if I should be sitting here right now in this car set to go in this place. However, this is where we had been led to.

Once Dom had explained to David that we were accepting his plan, he asked for no police to come with him. Dom said that he would simply tell all other cops to stay at bay, but he was going to join myself and Candiss. I thank him for that as I didn’t feel comfortable traveling anywhere with the guy that had it out for me.

So now this was where David had led us. It was a storage facility. You know one of those places that you rent out a section, put your stuff in for storage and lock with a lock while paying a fee? Think of the places you see on storage wars if you’re confused. Well, they were using one of those to hold Ron in. I guess you could call them smart as most of us would’ve gone for the abandoned warehouse.

There, now, we sat in a car – Dom, David, Candiss and myself – staring at the facility, at the door that led us to where Hilary had Ron. She knew that we were on our way so she had promised to hold off all future plans – thankfully. Did I trust her though? That was up for debate, but I went the faithful route.

The thing that David didn’t know was there was a GPS bug planted at the back of this car underneath. Hobbs and the cops new our location at all times so they were around this area – hiding of course – set to complete the rest of the plan.

Now we just needed to get inside to Ron.

“So you’re just letting me go without any regards?” David questions, breaking the silence that had fallen over the car. It seemed odd to be letting a criminal go. I now understood when Dom said it’d be hard to make this type of deal.

“That is correct,” Dom answers. “We want our friend back and will do whatever is necessary. We will give you and Hilary the escape, as long as Ron ends up back in our hands and is okay. However, I can’t promise you that I don’t have a plan for you for the future.” Why would Dom say something like that? Obviously, we knew what the plan was. So why hint that to the guy?

“What do you mean by that?” A smile creeps on Dom’s face and I feel like we’ve just stabbed this plan into the ground.

“I will find you again and arrest you, and you won’t get away next time.” Every guy likes to hear that. Thanks for ruining everything that we had going for us, Dom.

“You’ll have to find me first, Toretto.” Okay, so perhaps we hadn’t screwed things up like I thought. This guy was cocky enough to believe that everything had fallen his way and he was going to truly escape without a trace. Can I laugh when he gets the silver cuffs put back on his wrists again?

“So, Ron is right ahead in that room?” Candiss questions, obviously getting us back on track. David shakes his head yes with ease.

“How do you want to go about the trade, Mr. Rhodes?” Dom then asks, getting back on track as well. Enough games – we have a life to save. “I was going to allow both Jimmie and Candiss to go in with you, and then you and Hilary could leave with ease.”

“Wouldn’t that allow you to easily stop us on our way out?” David offers. I guess the guy is smarter than I give him credit for. Oh wait – he’s a national threat. That takes some smarts, I guess.

“What do you suggest?” Would you honestly accept the terms that a terrorist offers?

“You will all come in with me. Hilary and I will tie you up. We will then put in a distress call to the police station with the location, and leave. They will come and untie you while I will be long gone.” That wasn’t too bad. We just had to hope that there wasn’t some secret…oh, I don’t know, bomb hidden that’d blow up after he left. We also had to hope that he made the call – well, even if he didn’t, Hobbs knew where we were. It’d be funny to watch him leave with the car, especially with the GPS tracker. You’re going to be easier to find than you think, David.

“I am willing to accept those terms.” I have to admit – they’re not the worst terms and I would accept them, as well.

“I’m glad.” We then exit the vehicle together and go up to the door.

I watch as David knocks – four short knocks followed by a second pause and two more short knocks. I guess that’d be their code so Hilary knows it is him.

The door shortly opens thereafter and behnd the door is the familiar blond that we all knew of – the tech smart girl who had her way with belts and needles, as well. However, she didn’t care to keep my attention.

I immediately found my eyes locked at the man that was strapped to the table in the center of the room that had a small table beside it containing a couple of needles with a belt hanging off. No doubt, this was her set-up and how she had gone about her actions. I could tell that the muscle relaxer had taken its case as there was no movement by any limbs in trying to escape or move despite the new actions taking place. You could see the bit of angst, and curiosity, by the attempts to catch our attention. That movement, along with his chest moving up and down, allowed myself to relax. He was still alive. He was going to be okay. We just needed to get out of here in one piece.

“Who’s there?” Ron barely lets out as I immediately make my way over without hesitation. Dom and Candiss could handle the other two – I had to make sure that Ron made it out of here and that was my main focus right now. I was going to be by his side and make sure that he saw the light on the other side.

“We’re here,” I tell him as I look down upon him. I could’ve cried in that moment in seeing the marks that lay across his skin from the beatings that she had given him. I could’ve cried in that moment from how motionless he laid, obviously heavily under the drug that she had given him. It took everything to not start to rip at his bounds immediately. “We’re going to get out of here. Everything is going to work out. You’re going to be okay.”

“How do you know?” I didn’t know for sure. I just had a hope and a prayer on a plan that had been made.

“We have a plan. It’s going to work. I promise. I’m got you stuck in this mess and I’m getting you out.” That was something that I knew would lay on my shoulders for months, possibly years. Why hadn’t I listened to the warnings when he told me to get out of this life?

“It’s not your fau-”

“I should’ve listened when you told me to get out of this lif-”

“You wouldn’t had met Candiss in the way that you did and found your happiness. Plus, you couldn’t had predicted this.” So he does have a point. That does make things easier on my heart.

“That wasn’t part of the plan!” I hear Hilary yell, instantly pulling my attention away from Ron. I watch as David falls to the ground, face first, obviously knocked out. I could only guess that Dom had done it. “You said he could escape…”

“We lied,” Dom tells her as he reaches for her but she runs out of her grasp. I watch as she heads over my direction, giving me a shove back away from Ron.

I had been expecting the shove. I should’ve been able to brace it. I should’ve been able to stop or slow it in someway. However, I wasn’t able to. Instead, my body went flying back, hitting a concrete wall as I felt a pain across my shoulders that was pretty much unbearable.

I then slide down the wall, the pain taking over me. No…no…I have to help Ron….but the pain….but have to help Ron…..

I remember screams, shouting, arguing, a rush of action in feet moving across the floor. However, the last thing that I could tell you that I remember is darkness as my body went limp against the cold floor.